Grunge anyone?

[(rickenmetal)]

I don't think it was an actual music style, but just a case of the media trying to cash in. Besides playing hard guitar music and coming from Washington state, perhaps Oregon, there aren't many similarities between the bands.

Nirvana as a band had a style, but really they were not too radically different from many of the 1980s independent (I'd like to say post-punk, but prefer not to because that term can mean different things) bands from the US. I am not saying they were not a good band.

Pearl Jam also had their own style, but quite a different style. Many bands trying to cash in copied Eddie Vedder's vocal style.

Screaming Trees: good garage band, but do they have anything to do with the other bands?

Alice in Chains: metal.

Soundgarden: metal or perhaps hard rock.

Flannel: Black Flag wore flannel too. I would imagine some Country and Southern Rock bands did as well. Did that make them Grunge?

[(scott_s)]

Every few years, a style* comes along and inspires a bunch of kids to start bands: skiffle, rockabilly, British Invasion, surf, acoustic folk, NY punk, heavy metal, grunge, rap, nu-metal, indie, shoegazer, etc. Not all of these inspired new bands are technically great, but a lot of our favorite music came from bands who started off inept, and developed into great artists over time. In the case of this thread, it was kids who were tired of the cheesy stuff on the radio, and would have started punk bands, but still kinda liked metal.

- Scott

* Term used loosely.

[(paologregorio)]

[quote="shamustwin"]Loved Nirvana, still think they're one of the all time best. I thank them for ridding us of hair spandex pointy guitar pop metal.quote]

I was never crazy about grunge-didn't like like the sloppy musical style nor the sloppy appearance, but I agree with you that we can definitely thank grunge for getting rid of the hair spandex pointy guitar pop metal.

[(collin)]

I always laugh when I see the term "Grunge" being thrown around...ESPECIALLY when people follow it with something about Nirvana.

Nirvana was NOT a "grunge" band. When I think of grunge, I think of Alice in Chains poseur douchebags who took off their spandex and put on some ripped jeans, and rode the success wave in 1992, AFTER all the other bands who started it got going ( U-Men, Mudhoney, Green River, Soundgarden etc..)

Nirvana, to me, is just an extension of pop-influnced melodic punk. They were raised on hard rock, refined on Punk, and never ignored pop sensibilites.

The ONLY thing that relates them to bands like Pearl Jam is that they both came from Seattle, and released records at the same time. I hear absolutely no musical correalation to them, or to Soundgarden, or Screaming Trees, or Especially Alice in Chains ( who = ****** metal).

Nirvana is closer to Mudhoney (who were directly influnced by 60's american garage and stuff like the Stooges), and bands like REM and Sonic Youth.

I'm not just saying that because Nirvana is my favorite band, but it is amusing to see people stereotype a whole genre- lumping dissimilar bands together. Then again, that's usually the same people who think of Kurt Cobain as some ripped-jean, flannel-wearing (which he hardly ever did..) junkie martyr, instead of a real person and artist.

Cheers,
-Collin

[(whojamfan)]

None for me, thanks.

El Duce was an interesting character all right, I talked to him at a gig my band did in hollywood just days before his "accidental" death on the railroad tracks, and he confirmed that Courtney had paid him to kill Kurt, and that he had proof, and was going to be interviewed in a week or so about it. Less than a week later I heard of his "accidental" death.

Best band out of the whole Seattle thing(they were actually around since 79 and just broke up a few years ago)were the Fastbacks, IMHO. How they never made it and all that Grunge/Riot Grrrl stuff did, I'll never know.

Younger guys,like who grew up in the 90s, I run in to ask me what the difference is between punk and grunge. My response is simple.
Punk=FxCK You!
Grunge =FxCK Me!

Now we have the same ****(tuned even lower) with shredder leads and harmony vocals, and 8 million remakes of songs that weren't great in the first place. Can't anyone write a song anymore?

Whether you want to refer to Nirvana as a grunge band or not, that is how 99% of the world sees it. I cringe everytime I hear thr "Talking Heads" being referred to as a punk band, when all they did was play CBGBs, so I can see where you're coming from Collin. I am just so gratefull they came along and killed the ****** pop hair metal **** that dominated the airwaves for far too long. Warrants "Cherry pie?" and that "Unskinny Bop" **** was about as lame as you could get IMHO. I think that was about the time Zakk Wylde was trying to break Ritchie Samboras pinched harmonics record.

I like good metal, and it had become a characature of itself by this time, IMHO. I saw Guns and Roses, Metallica, and Motorhead at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California at this time, and Motorhead killed, while the other 2 were doing 15 minute guitar slos every 2 minutes and had a giant, ridiculous stage show props flying around like the Macys Thankgiving day parade. EGADZ!

DOA was a great band as well, played with them in the late 90s, and saw them in Los Angeles in the 80s.

[(mikethemod1992)]

I used to love all of it. But ive drifted away slightly towards 70s punk and Mod. I love the Garage/punk grunge bands.
Mudhoney is my favorite.
Love Battery are Great as well.

[(kiramdear)]

I'm a huge Nirvana fan. Don't care much for most of the followers, but Kurt was a stellar talent, can't say much more. Nevermind deserves the high regard it receives. In every genre there are only a couple or so who transcend the style to express their souls directly to the listener. Kurt was so enormous, so genuine, so completely in mastery of his art. I still mourn his passing. The rest of grunge and metal and the like leaves me lukewarm, but I could listen to Nirvana for days on end.

[(kiramdear)]

Just to follow up with a story that illustrates the notion of grunge being the death of metal. If anyone is offended by the "B" word, please overlook this story.

It's about the famous feud between Kurt and Axl Rose, whom Kurt had publicly described as "pathetic and untalented". Nirvana had refused to play with Guns 'n' Roses repeatedly until they found themselves sharing the bill during the time they were expecting Frances Bean. They all met backstage and Courtney, in typical style, began to mock Axl in front of the others.

"Hey Axl, you wanna be godfather to our baby?"
Axl turns to Kurt and threatens, "Shut up your ***** or I'll slap you to the pavement."
Kurt turns to Courtney, deepens his voice and says, "Shut up, *****.".

Much howling and rolling on the floor from the Nirvana entourage.

What a genius reply. I suppose he had some practice growing up with bullies, as I've heard some other classics stories about his wit and guile under fire.

[(Lefty4001)]

Sorry, I see that this is an old topic about an old topic. But, I read through and wanted to add some. I know why the argument is made about grunge killing metal, but it didn't kill good metal. It was just a weed-out process. Thank gawd for the Melvins at that time. Their albums were fantastic. Thank gawd for the people who caught on to them. They still inspire, push and create great metal. I don't know if they are grunge, but they probably got called that at the time.

[(fluffy)]

3 pages of anti-grunge and not a peep from SasquatchGeoff, either he hasn't seen this thread,agrees wholly,or has immense self control . I can't help but be a Tad(no pun intended) jaded in the great spectacle of grunge and the 90's.I was a fledgeling musician at the time and live a couple hours from Seattle. It was shoved down our throats, one radio station actually played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for hours on end when Nirvana popped the charts!!!! It's a shame as having been mentioned that some of the better bands of the era/area went virtually unnoticed simply because the played on a Tuesday night and the record executive was at the club on Wednesday night.. this is a toast to Blood Circus.... Coffin Break...12:30 Dreamtime.... Hammerbox.... all had the talent but missed the spotlight. oh well, just a few more years and Grunge will be "Retro" and we'll be seeing $500.00 flannel shirts, cargo shorts and Dr.Marten hiking boots all over again

[(timberic)]

The one band from that movement that really did it for me was Screaming Trees, especially their LP Sweet Oblivion. Mark Lanegan is beyond talented. Even his solo works are really.

+1